Events

The year 2026 commemorates 50 years since the Native Hawaiians and the people of Hawaii fought for the return of Kaho‘olawe. In preparation for this milestone anniversary, the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC), the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana and other stewardship organizations will create a strategic plan for the stewardship of Kaho’olawe island mapping out specific goals and objectives to be met from 2014 – 2026.

Your input is extremely valuable to us.

In preparation for the strategic planning process, we will host a series of focus group sessions in order to collect community feedback in the areas of A) research & education; B) resource management; C) infrastructure & governance; and D) Hawaiian cultural practice.

On Saturday, August 24, citizens concerned with the threats of climate change will hold a demonstration at the Waihe’e Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge of projected impacts on Maui for future generations if current trends of global warming continue at the current pace. Volunteers will take part in two activities:

ACTIVITY ONE: 12 Noon –2 P.M.
Volunteers will take cuttings from indigenous plants to place into pots for future plantings as a safeguard against soil erosion; and,

ACTIVITY TWO; 2:00 –2:30 P.m.
Volunteers will carry colorful batons and encircle the wetlands to demonstrate the area to be tainted for wildlife should saltwater encroach as the sea level rises.

ACTIVITY THREE; 2:30–3:30 P.M.
Scott Fisher, Conservation Director of the Hawaiian Island Land Trust, will comment about the threats and impacts of climate change on the Waihe’e Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge. Senator Brian Schatz will follow with comments about the projected effects on Maui and the Hawaiian Islands in general. The senator will follow his remarks with a PRESS CONFERENCE open to Q & A with the media. Mr. Fisher will be introduced by M. J. Yardley, co-leader of the OFA Maui chapter. Sen. Schatz, a former environmental activist with the UH Sea Grant Program after leaving college, will be introduced by Ted Clement, Executive Director of HILT.

This demonstration has been arranged by Organizing for Action (OFA) Maui, a living extension of President Obama’s 2012 campaign pledge to combat climate change. On August 1, four former directors of the EPA under the Republican Administrations of Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and both Bushs I and II, published a collaborative editorial piece in the New York Times lending support for President Obama’s June climate action plan. “The costs of inaction are undeniable. The lines of scientific evidence grow only stronger and more numerous. And the window of time remaining to act is growing smaller; delay could mean that warming becomes ‘locked in.’” Rather than argue against his proposals, our leaders in Congress should endorse them…”

Moderated by Kainoa Horcajo
Light pupu and beverages will be served outside the facility from 5:30 to 6pm.
Community Information booths will also be part of the event.

FREE. All welcome.

What’s up with Maui Trash? Hear experts from Sierra Club, EPA and others talk about Maui’s potential for trash to energy, and the problems with private dumps. Will trash to energy kill recycling? Is trash to energy win-win? Get the facts so we can make an informed decision.

Come hear an environmental hero share how he and his nation, the Republic of Palau, balance local culture and natural resources against the demands and challenges of economic growth, tourism, and climate change. President of Palau Thomas (Tommy) Remengesau is speaking on Sunday, June 2, 2013 from 5:00-6:30pm at Maui College ‘Ike Le’a Building #114.

Due to high demand, the Maui Solar Summit has changed locations from the college to the Castle Theater at the MACC. The hours are extended from 11:00am-1:30pm. A sandwich lunch by the Maui Culinary Academy will be available in the courtyard at 11:00am subsidized by the county for only $5. The blessing will start promptly at 11:30am. Please arrive early to get your seat.